Governors, Others Hail Pantami’s Policies on Digital Economy

Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja

The Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Zulum, his Gombe State counterpart, Yahaya Inuwa and Governor of Nasarawa State, Sule Abdullahi, have commended the innovative policies of the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami.

They  spoke in Abuja yesterday at a book launch titled: “A Scholar’s Journey Navigating the Academia” authored by Pantami.

In his remarks, Zulum who was the  chairman of the occasion said policies introduced during Pantami’s stewardship as minister of catapulted Nigeria’s economy into the digital era.

The governor of his home state of Gombe, Inuwa said Pantami was a pride to the state, and that his life story shows that whoever  was determined and hardworking , given the right opportunity can attain any height in the country.

“He rose from the Almajiri school to become a professor. That means that one could rise to be the best from wherever at least with proper attention and concern and when proper things are done,” he said.

Nasarawa State Governor,  Abdullahi noted: “When the Governor of Gombe said you (Pantami) are a pride of Gombe; I think you are a pride of Africa. You have used your wealth of experience, commitment and dedication to impact on both governance and the nation’s digital economy.

“ I also commend him for his book which talks of the importance of skills over certificates because if you have a degree without skills to back it up, it will amount to nothing.”

The keynote speaker, former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola said Nigerians needed to read the book to improve their knowledge of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

He said: “Given where we are today with the rapid penetration of the internet and the evolution of AI, this shows that interesting times still lie ahead of us for human civilisation.

“I encourage us to read about AI, and keep an eye on that development. We are in the course of experiencing new realities that will change our understanding of our environment and our role in that space.”

He also spoke on the personality of the author whom he said he got to know as a member of  President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet.

“I got to know Pantami as my colleague in the Federal Executive Council (FEC) where he served as Minister of Communications and Digital Economy 2019-2023. His passion and attention to details are very well known.

“He desires to have every ‘T’ and ‘I’ crossed and dotted in every document and it was almost annoying for some people .But our memorandum and cabinet records were undoubtedly better off in terms of accuracy. He was Mr. compliance for a good cause,” Fashola said.

The book reviewer, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed said the book will be a great asset to the young generation and those who want to achieve great strides in the technology and digital economy space.

A former Governor of Ekiti State, Fayemi Kayode; former Gombe State Governor, Senator Danjuma Goje; Minister of Housing, Ahmed Dangiwa: former Minister of Aviation, Femi Kayode;  Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, (NNPC), Mele Kyari;  former Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, among others, were present at the event.